Home > Advice centre > Keeping well > CAM a - d
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
A
Acupressure
See acupuncture (below) for more details. Acupressure is the version without needles. Pressure is applied with the fingers and thumbs or with implements.
Acupuncture
An ancient Chinese therapy, first recorded in 300 BC and based on Taoist principles. Fine needles are placed in the specific energy channels or meridians of the body, and left for up to 20 minutes. Safe and painless, the evidence for its efficacy is mixed. It has been scientifically substantiated for pain relief and treatment of nausea, but is not successful at helping people to quit smoking. There is some evidence that it can help in rehabilitation after a stroke. Practitioners use it to treat a range of problems, from arthritis to high blood pressure.
Alexander Technique
Developed by an Australian actor, F M Alexander, who lost his voice and decided the problem was bad posture, Alexander Technique is a body realignment therapy which aims to allow the spine to reach its maximum length by improving the relative positions of the head, neck and back. More gentle than you might expect from this description, it is undoubtedly effective in treating back pain, RSI and stress-related tension. Alexander Technique is taught in classes, rather than offered as a 'medical' therapy.
Aromatherapy
First described as a treatment by a French chemist, René-Maurice Gattefossé, in 1928, aromatherapy uses essential oils extracted from plants and applied in dilute form through massage, baths or inhalation. Often promoted as a treatment for stress, there is some disagreement about whether it is the oils that are achieving the relaxing effect, or just the massage. However, Gattefossé made his initial breakthrough when he scalded his hand while working in a perfume laboratory, and accidentally plunged it into a container of lavender oil rather than water... It healed so much faster and more cleanly than he expected, that he then went on to work on dermatological uses of the oils. Considerable work was later done by Jean Valnet, a French army surgeon, who achieved some success in treating battlefield burns and injuries with essential oils. There is no doubt that essential oils are powerful substances - the question asked by the sceptics is whether massaging them onto the skin in weak dilutions can really achieve what some therapists claim.
Auricular Point Therapy
A sideline to acupuncture, this is acupuncture of the outer ear, which is said to house 200 auricular points, and act as a 'switchboard to the brain'. Some success has been claimed in treating drug dependency.
Ayurveda
The oldest formalised system of medicine in the world, this traditional Indian practice is based on the principle that energy (prana) is carried through canals in the body, and that different personality types require different medicines. Herb and mineral based treatments are used, alongside yoga, diet and meditatino, in a holistic approach to health. This therapy is offered in some 3000 Indian hospitals, and is particularly popular in rural areas.
B
Bach Flower Therapy
Edward Bach (pronounce 'batch') was a Harley Street doctor who developed his range of remedies from homeopathic principles. Essences are distilled from 38 varieties of wild flower, and these are supposed to balance the body, counteracting any negative feelings, so that it can heal itself. You are supposed to diagnose your own problem, then sip water containing a few drops of the appropriate flower remedy until you feel better. The Bach Rescue Remedy is a combination of five flower essences, designed as a panacea to help you cope with any stressful situation you can imagine.
Biodynamic Massage
The underlying principle of this massage-based treatment, which was developed by Gerda Boyesen in Norwegian psychiatric hospitals, is that the psyche exists in the physical body, with emotions being literally digested by the body's organs.
Biorhythms
In the 1900s, a German doctor, Wilhelm Fleiss, first presented the notion that a person's physical, mental and emotional states move through regular cycles, which can be tracked and predicted. More a diagnostic tool than a therapy, knowledge of your individual biorhythms is supposed to help you choose the best time to undertake particular projects, and put you on your guard at times whan you are more likely to be accident-prone...
Body psychotherapy
A general term for a range of therapies developed from the work of renegade Freudian analyst Wilhelm Reich, in the 1920s. What they have in common is that they combine traditional psychoanalysis with massage. The variants include Gestalt body psychotherapy, hakomi, bioenergetics, biodynamics, biosynthesis, emotional anatomy.
C
Champissage
Anti-stress therapy which combines traditional Indian head massage (champi) with general massage of the face, shoulders and upper arms.
Chavutti thirumal
Traditional Indian foot massage (masseur's feet, not yours!) The masseur hangs from a rope and works their feet up and down your spine.
Chelation therapy
Presented as an alternative to heart bypass surgery (though apparently without any evidence to substantiate it) this is a costly treatment for cardio-vascular problems based on injections of EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra acid), which was originally developed as an antidote to lead poisoning.
Chiropractic
No argument about the efficacity of this one. Practitioners manipulate the spine and bodily extremities to reduce pain and increase mobility. Unlike osteopathy, which works on muscles and ligaments, chiropractic focuses on the joints. The idea is that by stimulating neural receptors in the joints, positive feedback will be delivered to the part of the brain relating to that part of the body. Developed by a Canadion, D D Palmer in 1895, it is now so well accepted as a treatment in Britain, that it is regulated by an Act of Parliament.
Colonic Irrigation
First popular in the early 20th century, colonic irrigation - or colonic hydrotherapy -involves pumping up to 20 gallons of warm water into the colon, using a 20 - 30 inch length of tubing. The idea is that this washes out any accumulated toxins - mucus, fecal matter and gas - from the colon, leaving you feeling lighter and healthier. Internal inspections using a camera have, however, demonstrated that there is nothing left stuck to the colon walls anyway, whilst there is a very real risk of damaging the colon by undergoing the treatment.
Colour Therapy
In the 1940s, Swiss psychologist Dr Max Lüscher developed this therapy, which involves studying your aura (the coloured emanations which apparently surround your body and are normally invisible to any but trained therapists). Based on what they see, sometimes through a Kilner screen, which is made from two sheets of glass with cyanide dye in between, they may prescribe colour breathing (think of a colour while you breathe), wearing clothes of a particular colour, drinking rainbow water (the regular stuff in a coloured container) or focusing sunlight on specific parts of the body.
Cranial Osteopathy
A very gentle form of manipulation performed on the head and first few neck vertebrae. Originally developed by a Missouri osteopath, Dr William G Sutherland in the 1930s, the movements are tiny and gentle. It is sometimes practised on babies and small children; sceptics counter claims from adult patients that they have received relief from headache, neck pain, etc, by saying that the bones of the adult skull are fused, and cannot be moved independently.
Crystal Healing
Based on the idea that crystals both absorb and transmit energy, and can therefore be used to regulate fluctuating vibrations in the body. It is important to choose a crystal that is right for you, clean it thoroughly - in cool water, by burying it in clean earth or passing it through incense smoke. It should then be dedicated by asking for what you want; tuned to your individual vibrations, and put somewhere it feels happy to do its work...
Cupping
A variant on acupressure. A healing substance is burnt in a cup, which is then upturned on the patient's skin for five or ten minutes. Little to support its usefulness - and it can certainly cause local skin damage to the area where it is placed.
D
Dance Movement Therapy
Developed by Marian Chace in the United States in the 1940s, the principle here is that the dance movements we choose to make are a physical expression of the state of our psyche, which can then be helped back to health if necessary through further movement techniques.
Dolphin Therapy
Exactly as it sounds, the treatment involves the patient touching a dolphin - the idea being that energy is transferred between the two. Hard to prove anything scientifically, but there is evidence to suggest that it can help with a range of emotional problems, including anorexia.
Please note that any information provided on this site is offered without guarantees or any acceptance of liability. We do our best to verify accuracy, but are not offering advice. You should consult a suitably qualified medical practitioner before undertaking any treatment.